The Name of Jesus

Act 3 tells us about a man who was lame since birth and was carried daily to the temple to beg for alms.  One day as Peter and John were walking to the temple, the lame man caught their attention and begged for money, but instead of giving money as he expected, Peter said in Acts 3:6 “Silver and gold I don’t have; but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”  Vs. 8 says of the lame man “He leaped up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them, walking, leaping, and praising God.”  They were full of the Spirit of God and were ready to minister in an instant without notice to a man in need and saw results.

The great news for us today is that every believer has what Peter and John had.  The question is then, what are we going to do with it?   Are we trying to come up with our own resources and abilities to meet people’s needs and neglect the power that is available through the name of Jesus alone?  Will we believe and have faith in the name of Jesus and know what His name affords to every member of the body of Christ?

Acts 3:16 says  “And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know: yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.”

It wasn’t the recipient’s faith here that made himself whole but rather it was Peter and John’s.  They knew the authority they had in the name of Jesus to heal, save, and deliver and they used it to help this man.

When we realize that we have the same power in Jesus’s name available to us as Peter and John did, how would that affect how we prayed?  Would we be bolder and pray with more authority?  Would we expect results, instead of just hoping for them?  Would we see more miracles when we realize that we have access to the name of Jesus and all that this provides through Him?